by Ryan Michele
“Yeah. I’m goin’,” I answered as she reached over and grabbed my hand. It looked so frail compared to mine. Not the grandma I’d known for nineteen years. I hated that for her.
“When I met your grandfather, he was it for me. Loved that man more than my next breath.” She shook her head, looking around the club. “One time and that was it for me. He was it for me.”
“Know that, Gram.”
She gave a sad smile. “I lied.”
This shocked the shit out of me, and my body tensed. “What?”
“Stupid. I was young and dumb, never knowing what I wanted to do with my life. Met this man in a biker bar and fell head over heels.” She looked my way. “But, Ry, I didn’t just leave because I didn’t want your momma to grow up here,” I said nothing, waiting. “Your grandpa was a ladies’ man. From the moment I met him, I knew this for fact considering he had three women pawing at him for his attention.”
This didn’t surprise me one bit.
“I’m not gettin’ where you lied, Gram.”
She stared off into the distance. “At the time, I wasn’t strong enough to hack seeing the women all over him. It drove me mad, but I was a girl from a small town just tryin’ to make my way in life. When I ended up pregnant, I left. It wasn’t the MC lifestyle, but it was. It was my insecurities of not being enough for him. The women around him were beautiful, and here I was pregnant with his child. He wouldn’t want me for long. So I left.”
My heart squeezed for her.
“Gram, you’re beautiful. He said he loved you from the very beginning.”
Her smile widened. “Yes, I know that now, but I didn’t know that then. I let my fears hold me back and missed out on so many years with that man.”
“What are you tryin’ to tell me here?”
Her legs twisted so her knees were now touching mine. Connected. “Life is a big puzzle.” This made me smile, her knowing my love for them. “Each action you take has a reaction somewhere down the line. For me, my action was leaving Dagger. The reaction was missing more than twenty years with him and causing my daughter to grow up without a father. It was a reaction that I brought on myself, yet killed me at the same time.” She paused, letting that hang before she continued.
“Just like Crow. You say he kissed another woman, that was his action. Your reaction was to leave.” Her hands shook just a bit in mine, but she kept firing away. “You didn’t cause him to kiss her, but yet you left him because of it.”
“He says he doesn’t remember, Gram.” At those words, a cool breeze came across the yard dimming the heat of the sun. “What do I do with that?”
“The trust has been broken. The only way to fix it is to work together to rebuild it. He may not remember. That is something you need to work out. The bottom line is that you love him.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Love has a way of working things out in the end. I found my way back to your grandpa after years of being apart. I’d never stopped loving him. You can overcome anything if both people in the relationship are on the same page.”
“Gram. I believe him. I know I probably shouldn’t. But in my gut, I do. It’s just the why he doesn’t remember part that bothers me.”
She shook my hand. “Another puzzle to solve.”
“Not sure about this one.”
Mazie jogged up with two glasses. “Mom said to give you these. It’s sweet tea.” We took them, and she trotted off.
“Your mother always knows when I need something.”
I took a drink. “She’s a smart woman.”
“You are too. Always remember that. I may have started out not sure of myself, but I learned. I taught your mother to be strong, and she taught you. Three generations of strength to get you through all of life’s ups and downs.”
It was amazing when she put it like that. It was empowering.
“Do you think I’ve lost my mind moving to be with a man?”
She shook her head. “Not for a second. If I knew then what I know now, I’d have moved to Antarctica to be with your grandfather. Everyone is different. There is no cookie cutter, must do this or must do that list. You have to figure out how you work together.”
“Anyone ever tell you, you were smart? But you can’t have Einstein, that’s me.”
Gram chuckled. “Einstein huh? That’s a new one.”
“Not really. After all, I do come from a damn good gene pool.”
We laughed together, reminding me of the times before my grandpa passed away. There was laughter now, but it was always missing his gruff tone.
“Yes, you do. Now you go on and give them hell over there. Let them know what a Ravage woman is made of.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She handed me her drink which I set down in the grass. “I need to go inside where it’s cool. The heat is givin’ me a bit of a headache.”
Without a moment of delay, I helped her up and into the clubhouse. Leaning down, I kissed her cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Nox came up beside me and handed me a beer. I took it with pleasure. “Thanks.”
“Know you’re drivin’ so only one, but you may need it for your chat with your dad.”
Looking over my shoulder, my father sat at the table, beer in hand but his gaze far off in the distance. Knowing I had a long drive ahead, I set the beer down saying, “Thanks, Nox” and took off to talk to my father.
Pulling up a chair, I sat next to him. He didn’t miss a beat. “Not fuckin’ tellin’ you bye.”
My hand went to his that was holding the bottle of beer like a vice grip. “No. You’ll tell me, see ya later. Because I’m comin’ back, Dad.”
“Not to stay though.”
Fuck, why did shit like this have to be so hard? “I love you.”
“Love you too.” He leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “You be safe drivin’. You get in any trouble you call me. And if that fucker hurts you again, I’ll cut his balls off.”
“Don’t worry, Daddy. I told him the same thing.”
Only then did I get a small smile from him. He’d always been a man of few words, but this was completely different. I hated that I was the one who put that lost look on his face. Moving into him, I wrapped him up in my arms, him doing the same.
“Proud of the woman you’ve become, Rylynn. Always know that.”
That was when the tears started to fall from my face in steady streams. We didn’t move from that position until I was able to compose myself. I sure as hell didn’t know how much a person could cry, but I’d met my quota for the decade.
“Get outta here,” my father said. Giving him a soft smile, hugs to everyone once again, I climbed in my Jeep and took off.
Destination: Rebellion, Alabama.
The drive was peaceful and gave me time to think, reflect on my choices and decisions. In my gut, I knew this was the right decision, being with Crow. Was I still hurt by what I saw? Yes. That feeling wouldn’t go away for a while I’d supposed. Under that though was more. We had such a solid foundation, and then the earthquake came and shook the place.
I wanted to get back to being solid, knowing Crow was mine and only mine.
Was there a bit of fear this could all blow up in my face. Yes. It was there in the background just waiting for its chance to come alive. But I was a Hutton, and we didn’t let fear hold us back. We were strong and determined.
That was what I was going to be.
When I called Crow about an hour ago to tell him I was an hour out, he was out on club business and told me where his extra key was. He said I was to stay in his house until he got there. He was going to have to learn, he didn’t dictate what I did or when.
I was not a woman to be barked orders at, but he already knew it. He always wanted to rile me up, and I let him freely. Loved having that back and forth with him.
It was something I never wanted to disappear.
Since I really didn’t know anyone here, staying at his
place wouldn’t be a hardship.
Pulling up to his house, this time I wasn’t in awe of it. No, this time I felt like I was home. My apartment never felt that way, but my parents’ house did. Now, with Crow’s home, I felt it the instant my Jeep hit the driveway.
Yeah, this was the right decision.
I parked in the driveway and grabbed my bag. I had to pee like a racehorse, then I’d unload the boxes from my Jeep. Crow would be pissed that I didn’t wait for him, but he’d get over it because all the boxes would already be in the place by the time he got here.
Making my way up the walk, I reached down to a small rock that was barely noticeable. Picking it up, I pulled out the key from its mystery hiding spot. I did this smiling. Yes, this was a great start to a fantastic life for Crow and me. Happy. That was what we needed.
Shoving the key in the lock, the door flew open.
Everything around me stopped.
Breaths ceased.
Time stood still.
Feet wanted to float instead of staying put.
Nothing felt right.
Everything hurt.
Once again.
Because standing in Crow’s door was Sophia.
Oops, I did it again. No that wasn’t the cheesy line from Britney Spears. Okay, so it was. This ‘book’ needed to be broken up into three separate books. There was so much going on, and once again I couldn’t condense. BUT! I promise you, there will only be three books. NO MORE.
Sealed in Strength is coming very soon.
PREORDER HERE!
Thank you for reading, and I hope you loved Crow and Rylynn as much as I did.
~Ryan
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Preorder the final book in the trilogy Sealed in Strength Today!
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Other Books by Ryan Michele
www.authorryanmichele.com/books
Ravage MC Series
Ravage Me
Seduce Me
Consume Me
Inflame Me
Captivate Me
Ravage MC Novella Collection
Ravage MC Box Set
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Bound by Ravage: A Taste of the Ravage MC
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Ravage MC Bound Series
Bound by Family
Bound by Desire
Bound by Vengeance
Bound by Affliction
Bound by Destiny
Bound by Wreckage
Bound by Destruction
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Ravage MC Rebellion Series
Connected in Pain
Fueled in Fire
Sealed in Strength
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Power Chain: Anti-Hero Game
Power Chain
PowerHouse
Power Player
PowerLess
Overpowered
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Vipers Creed MC
Crossover
Challenged
Conquering
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Ruthless Rebels MC
Shamed
Scorned
Scarred
Schooled
Ruthless Rebels Box Set
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Raber Wolf Pack Series
Raber Wolf Pack Book 1
Raber Wolf Pack Book 2
Raber Wolf Pack Book 3
Raber Wolf Pack Series Box Set
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Standalone Romances
Full Length Novels
Needing to Fall
Safe
Wanting You
Blood & Loyalties: A Mafia Romance
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Novellas
Stood Up (Billionaire Up Romance)
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Short Stories
Hate to Love
Branded
Bangin’
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www.authorryanmichele.com/books
About the Author
Ryan Michele found her passion in bringing fictional characters to life. She loves being in an imaginary world where anything is possible, and she has a knack for special twists readers don’t see coming.
She writes MC, Contemporary, Erotic, Paranormal, New Adult, Inspirational, and other romance-based genres. Whether it’s bikers, wolf-shifters, mafia, etc., Ryan spends her time making sure her heroes are strong and her heroines match them at every turn.
When she isn’t writing, Ryan is a mom and wife, living in rural Illinois and reading by her pond in the warm sun.
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Come find me:
www.authorryanmichele.com
[email protected]
Thank you for reading!